Ja Morant ineligible for NBA awards due to little-known rule as Memphis Grizzlies star struggles with foot injury
Officially, JA Morant is not eligible to receive any NBA honors this season.
The Memphis Grizzlies standout did not play against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
Due to foot pain, the 25-year-old was ruled out.
He sustained the injury playing against the same opponent on Wednesday.
AndMorant is no longer eligible for any awards this season due to his miss.
Morant missed his 18th game of the current season on Friday.
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To be eligible for prizes, players must appear in at least 65 games.
And following the most recent game he missed, Morant is no longer able to meet that goal.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins stated on Friday that “he got tangled up, had a little collision there with a Spurs player that really worsened it” during the team’s most recent game against the Spurs.
Jenkins also mentioned that since playing against the Houston Rockets on January 9, Morant has been battling a sprained foot.
Morant helped the team defeat the Spurs on Wednesday by scoring 21 points and dishing out 12 assists.
Memphis prevailed 129-115.
And they went on to win 140–112 on Friday without Morant.
With a 27–15 record, the Grizzlies are third in the Western Conference, behind the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.
This is Morant’s sixth season in the league.
This season, he is averaging 21.4 points per game, 7.5 assists, and 1.3 steals.
In the 2019 NBADraft, the 25-year-old was selected with the second overall pick.
In 2020, he was named Rookie of the Year.
In 2022 and 2023, Morant was named to the NBA All-Star team twice.
However, when he was suspended last year, he had issues.
Morant shared a video on Instagram Live in March 2023 that seemed to show him brandishing a gun.
In an apologetic statement issued after the event on Saturday, March 4, 2023, Morant stated: “I accept full responsibility for my conduct last night.
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“I apologize for disappointing my family, teammates, coaches, supporters, partners, the city of Memphis, and the whole Grizzlies organization.
“I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”